The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1887-11-12
VOL. 20.
LETEE HISTORY.
[Memnhis AnneaLl

Apropos of the recent session of the
western waterways convention, the
following facts in regard to the i'm
proYement and leveeing of the Missis-
sippi river from the Hon. james L-
Aleorn, ex-governor and ex-United
States senator from Mississippi, cannot
fail to be of interast to the people of
the Mississippi valley. When seen by
Appeal reporters Gov. Alcorn was in
the company of Capt J. ii. Martin, pres
ident of the Merchants exchange, who
is an untiring worker in interest of
western waterways improvement. Ii
was in answer to questions of Capt.
Martin that the reporter caught the
following historical facts from Gov.
Aleorn, who modestly prefaced what
he was about to say with the re-
mark that "being a modest man, and
out of public life, he was cautious in
what he said in the presence ofa news
paper man. But, however, said he,
"as is well known, all of my interests
are wrapped up in the Mississippi val
ley. | have lived in it all my life and
expect to die in it. Consequently |
have given much thought and study to
the reclamation of that the most fertile
and productive spot ON earth. You
ask me who first conceived the idea
ofleveeing the Mississippi cannot
say, but of to its history and first intro
duction before legislative body |
think | can speak authoritatively. So
far as | can find, in looking over this
river history, | had the honor of intro
ducing the first legislative measure
eomprehending the scope of this great
work. Ii was in 1876. | was quite II
young man then was member of
the Mississippi Legislature, and sub
mitted a series of resolutions in the
shape of memorial for that Legisla-
ture to present to the Congress of the
United States. In that memorial Con-
gress was asked to deed all the over
flow lands of the general government
to the state, and through the sale of
them the state was to have the river
leveed. Jacob Thompson, then the
leading member of congress from Mis-
sissippi, presented the memorial. which
had been unanimously adopted by the
legislature, and made an able speech
in its support. Congress conclrred in
the memorial, which was grated into
a bill with the understanding that the
work was to be done TO meet with the
approval of the United States engi-
neers. The work was Systematically
undertaken, and up to its interruption
by the war was success, and that
great section was contributing millions
to the wealth of the country. After
the war, when our people had lost all
they had and were disfranchised, and
more than that, were pillaged by the
collection of the onerous and unjust
cotton tax, of which $70,000,000 was
collected-and when they were thus
robbed without representation in the
governments affairs, | undertook to
exercise about the only privilege ! had
to memorable congress-by calling
its attention to the changed condition
Of things in the Mississippi valley,
urged that the protection of the Miss
issippi delta from overflow was prop
erly a matter for the government to
undertake, and asked that, as matter
of simple justice, the cotton tax at least
be appropriated to protect from over
flow the people from whom il was ex-
torted and who were bravely endeav-
oring to make an honest living. The
memorial was presented to congress
In fact went to Washington that Win
ter to do what could in securing II
deserved attention, but il did not meet
with the favor it merited. III tell you
why. There was class in the North
so hateful and vindictive that they
wanted to contisticate the property of
the people of the South. Not content
with having freed our negroes, they
wanted to humiliate and enslave us by
contiscating and giving our property
to our slaves, and that was really the
object of the cotton tax. II was not
until I was elected to the Senate, sew
erals years later, that sought to gain
for my people their dues In tins regard,
and in January. 1873. introduced a.
bill authorizing the Secretary of the
Treasury to issue bonds bearing live
per cent. interest, on which was to be
realized S36,00O.000 to be appropriated
on the levees. Since the time Mr. Cal
houn had indorsed the idea, there had
not been any dispute that II was just
and proper for the government to aid
in the protection of its riparian popu-
tation. but when the bill came to
be considered. the question of the
right of the federal government to
appropriate money for such purposes
was raised. have never understood,
except IT be on the principle of States
rights. why the measure was opposed.
The bill was defeated by only one vote.
Senator Gordon, of Georgia, who was
its friend, was unfortunately absent
from the chamber at the time. | had
already gone to Blaine and Garfield in
behalf of the measure, and they had
promised that when the bill came to
the House they would see that it pass
ed. but it never reached them. II was
through my efforts that the committee
on levees in the senate was appointed,
but after | retired from the senate. by
some means or other. the committee
was dropped from the list. ! don't
like to appear egotistical. but my heart
has been in this work all these years,
and, conscious that it was the power
and duty of the general government
to aid in this matter, spared no effort
TO secure that aid. Now, to show you
of what incalculable benefit the levee
system is. before the grant made, which
was the result of my resolutions to the
Mississippi Legislature, and the subse-
quent approval of them by congress in
1910, the counties which it sought to
protect produced only $4,000 bales
of cotton; in 1850, when the same
section was still unleveed, only $4,000
bales, but in 1860. when the grant had
been made and the counties in ques-
ton leveed. they produced 10000
bales. This added TO the wealth of
our country S15,000.000 annually. The
cotton tax. while it was enforced on